Fwd: Simple Times - 2/3/2010 - Scented ornaments; embracing life's givens

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Simple Times

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Vol. 12, No. 3 -- February 3rd, 2010

http://www.SimpleMom.com

DSimple

Copyright 2010 Deborah Taylor-Hough

ISSN: 1527-1269

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Celebrating more than a decade of saving your time, money and sanity!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

-- "Dear Readers"

-- Simple Living Quote

-- Valentine Craft Idea: Scented Cinnamon Cutout Ornaments

-- Debi's Featured Blog Post: Frugal Valentine's Day Ideas

-- Guest Article: "Embracing and Accepting Life's Givens" by Bruce Elkin

-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips

-- Assorted Information (books, Writers' Guidelines, resources, etc.)

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< < < O.U.R S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > >

 

Tupperware® Online Catalog

http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware

 

Same great products ... shop online convenience!

 

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Dear Readers,

 

Can you believe we’re beginning the 2nd month of 2010? Amazing. I

think I’m starting to sound old when I find myself talking about time

flying by so quickly these days. My 99-year-old grandma told me —

not that long ago — that it just seems like yesterday when she was a

young girl playing with dolls. Now her youngest great-granddaughter

is at the age of putting her childhood dolls away in storage (my nearly

15-year-old “babyâ€, that is).

 

My baby will be turning 15 on the 18th of February … and I’ll be turning ...

drum roll please .... the big 5-0! ... on the 12th. My youngest daughter

and I are both going to be celebrating our “Fift…†birthdays this year.

Also, the Olympic games start on my birthday this month, and I've

always watched the Olympic opening ceremonies on television. So I

guess I know how I'll be spending my birthday this year. Hey, it's a

frugal party for the whole world that I don't have to host. :-)

 

In mid-January, I hosted a contest/give-away for a free autographed copy

of my book, A Simple Choice: A practical guide for saving your time, money

and sanity. "Christine J." in North Dakota won the random drawing (#48)

with the following "gotta-try-it!" frugal meal suggestion:

 

"My quickest recipe, and it is oh-so-good, is Chicken and Potato Pockets.

Scrub potatos and slice in slices. Put on a tin foil square sprayed with

non-stick cooking spray or use non-stick foil. Season to taste. Put a

thawed out boneless chicken breast on top of sliced potatoes on foil,

season to taste, lemon pepper is good. Then wrap it all up.and put it

on a baking sheet for stability. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 min

or until chicken is done and potatoes are tender. Individual meal packets.

Add a salad and "Wha-LA!" dinner is served!"

--Christine J.

 

 

Be sure to stop by and see all the great frugal recipes and simple meal

ideas submitted by my blog readers. What a creative and frugal bunch of

folks! There are 84 comments there now ... and most are recipes and meal

suggestions. We've already had a number of tasty meals from ideas I

found in my own blog's comment section: :-)

 

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/january-give-away-contest/

 

 

Check back in about a week when I'll be hosting another contest and

book give-away on my Simple Mom blog.

 

Simply Yours,

 

Debi

(Deborah Taylor-Hough)

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

--Author of the popular Frozen Assets series; A Simple Choice: A

practical guide for saving your time, money & sanity; and Frugal

Living for Dummies®

--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters

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Visit my simple living blog!

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

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SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE

 

"If you argue with reality, you will always lose."

 

--Joan Borysenko

 

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Follow me on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/dsimple

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VALENTINE CRAFT IDEA: Scented Cinnamon Cutout Ornaments

Copyright Deborah Taylor-Hough

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

 

 

I often think of cutout ornaments strictly as a Christmastime craft,

but if you cut these out in heart-shapes, hang them from lacy white,

red or pink ribbons, and suddenly you'll have a Valentine's "tree" full

of easy (and wonderfully scented) decorations.

 

 

Scented Cinnamon Cutout Ornaments

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1 (4-oz) can (about one cup) cinnamon

1 tablespoon cloves

1 tablespoon nutmeg

3/4 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons white glue

1 drinking straw

1/4 to 1/2-inch thick decorative ribbon (white, pink or red)

 

 

1) In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add

applesauce and glue; stir to combine. Work mixture with hands for

2 to 3 minutes or until dough is smooth and ingredients are thoroughly

mixed.

 

2) Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll out each portion to 1/4-inch

thickness. Cut dough with 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutters.

 

3) Using drinking straw, make small hole in the top center of each

ornament. Place cutouts on wire racks; allow to dry at room temperature

for 3 to 4 days, turning over once each day for more even drying.

 

4) Insert ribbon through hole in each ornament; tie with knot or bow.

 

WARNING: DO NOT EAT! And keep your kids and pets from eating, too.

 

Makes about 2 dozen (2-inch) decorative ornaments.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--Deborah Taylor-Hough (freelance writer and mother of three) is the

author of several popular books including Frugal Living for Dummies®

and the Frozen Assets cookbook series. Visit Debi online for more

recipes, tips and ideas at: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

 

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DEBI'S FEATURE BLOG POST:

 

Valentine's Day on a Budget

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/valentines-day-on-a-budget/

 

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Special Featured Guest Article:

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EMBRACING AND ACCEPTING LIFE'S GIVENS

Copyright 2010 Bruce Elkin

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

http://www.BruceElkin.com

 

 

Although it doesn't always come in crisis form as it has in Haiti,

change is inevitable. It is the one thing we can be certain about --

there will always be change and uncertainty. But it doesn't have to

make us unreasonably unhappy, depressed or despairing. It doesn't

have to ruin our lives.

 

In, The Five Things We Cannot Change . . . and the Happiness We

Find by Embracing Them, David Richo reminds us of these five

immutable facts of life:

 

1. Everything changes and ends.

2. Things do not always go according to plan.

3. Life is not always fair.

4. Pain is part of life.

5. People are not loving and loyal all the time.

 

 

Learning to live with these five facts of life helps you accept reality-

as-it-is; things as they are. These facts are life's givens. When you

fight them, you lose. You become frustrated, anxious, angry and

unhappy; unable to think or act effectively. But, by accepting these

givens as reality, and working with them, you can think, feel, and

act more effectively.

 

Let's say, for example, that a friendship, love affair or other partnership

that you are committed to suddenly ends. (Or some other major set

back occurs to you.)

A certain amount of grief and unhappiness is natural, perhaps

necessary as a way to help you learn from the experience. However,

fighting the five givens can make you feel more than miserable. It

can make you desperately unhappy, irrationally anxious, and even

hopelessly depressed. Here's how it happens.

 

We start by arguing that the relationship ending (or other setback)

"should not have happened."

 

But it did happen. It did end. That's our reality.

 

Arguing with ourselves, with the other, or with the Universe that the

relationship should not have ended puts us in a position of arguing

against reality. Against what is! Reality is reality. What does fighting

reality bring us? Frustration. Grief. More unhappiness. Even despair.

 

Worse, when we argue with reality, we lose touch with actual reality.

It is difficult to orient ourselves, make decisions and take useful actions.

Action devolves into seeking relief from suffering -- most of which we

self-create by fighting the givens. Unless we are facing a catastrophe,

such as the one in Haiti, relief-driven actions can be dangerous, addictive,

and soul-destroying.

 

 

Everything Changes and Ends

 

However, once we have grieved appropriately, accepting Richo's first

given -- everything changes and ends -- allows us to accept reality with

greater equanimity. We accept the setback or the end of the love affair

with grace, which increases our personal power, making it easier to

move on.

 

Likely, we'll still feel disappointed and saddened by this ending. But

we will not feel desperately unhappy. We will feel pain but we won't

suffer as we would if we did not accept the ending.

 

 

Things Don't Always Go According to Our Plans

 

Accepting the second given -- things don't always go according to

our plans -- means we do not have to complain, "this is not the way

it should be." Who says things should always go our way? No one

but us. And saying so pits us against reality.

 

 

Life Isn't Always Fair

 

Life isn't always fair. That's true; that's the third given. And there is

no law or dictate that says that life must be fair. Again, it does no

good to demand that reality be other than it is. It does not help to

whine and complain that the ending is unfair. It's simply best to

accept unfairness, learn from it, and move on. Try, try again.

 

 

Pain Is Part of Life

 

And yes, pain arises out of setbacks, endings, failed plans, and

life's unfairness. That's the fourth given. Pain is part of life. But

pain does not have to be desperate, overwhelming, heartrending

pain. It does not have to be suffering, and we do not have to suffer

unnecessarily.

 

If you think that what's happened to you is unfair you will suffer

more, feel more pain and grief than if you think that what happened

is just part of the natural course of things.

 

 

We suffer more, for example, from an ankle broken when an unruly

skateboarder knocks off the sidewalk than we do from an ankle

broken sliding into home plate to score the winning run for our

slo-pitch team.

 

Pain specialists tell us that judging pain as "unfair" increases its

intensity. We create suffering (which the experts say is worse than

pain) by fighting the given that pain is part of life, when we say, It's

not fair, or There shouldn't be any pain.

 

Instead, we can say something such as, This setback or ending is

painful, but I don't have to make it more so by fighting it. I'll get

through it. This, too, shall pass. Taking such a stance avoids

suffering; the pain passes more quickly, and easily.

 

 

People Are Not Loving and Loyal All the Time

 

Finally, as we get on better terms with reality, we realize, sadly

but not desperately so, that people are not loving and loyal all the

time. Love fades. Loyalties shift. Bad things happen. This too is

part of life, the fifth given.

 

Accepting this given makes an ending less personal, less about

you and your flaws, weaknesses, and failings. Stepping back to

the perspective of the fifth given, you can see that other people

change and, sometimes, those changes cause them to shift

their paths. Our paths diverge from theirs. Connections become

strained, and then break.

 

Again, some of the sadness and disappointment of a serious

setback or failed relationship is natural, even necessary. But

much of it is self-created, dysfunctional and unnecessary. The

unnecessary part comes from fighting against the reality -- the

given -- that people are not always loving and loyal.

 

So, like a sailor on the sea of life, when change blows you off

course, acknowledge the change but don't fight it. Focus on what

you want, accept reality, trim your sails, and alter your course.

Go with the flow and steer yourself toward what you truly want

to create.

 

It won't always be easy or effective. Difficulties and adversity will

get in your way. So be it. Accept them. Give yourself time for

appropriate sadness and disappointment. Then, by accepting

and embracing the five givens, you will be better able to embrace

and transcend negative feelings, develop emotional mastery and

move in the direction of your heart's desires.

 

 

Emotional Mastery is Both an End and a Process.

 

Learning to accept Richo's Five Givens increases your ability to

manage your moods, and to take effective action -- even when

you don't feel like it.

 

These and other skills of emotional mastery can be learned,

practiced, and mastered. When you develop emotional mastery,

it becomes your primary way of grounding yourself in the world.

It increases your resilience, your ability to bounce back quickly

from setbacks and adversity.

 

It also becomes your foundation for creating what truly matters.

The ability to create what you want, grounded in realistically

optimistic emotional mastery will help you rise above what

Shakespeare called "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

 

Together, the capacity to create and emotional mastery increase

your ability to bring into being what you truly long for -- with

whatever life throws at you.

 

Emotional mastery can become the platform upon which you

create not only what matters to you, but also create what

matters to your children, their children, and the world you

pass on to them.

 

Asking, "What kind of world do I want to create for myself?" is

a powerful and important question. But asking, "What kind of

world do I want to create for my children, grandchildren, and

their children?" makes it a much more meaningful task.

 

If you accept and act on that task, it will challenge you, stretch

you, and help you grow into your best possible self. If you say,

"yes" to that challenge, life will open to you. You will become,

as David Richo says, "the courageous, compassionate and

wise being you were meant to be."

 

You will be will be better able to accept and deal with whatever

life throws at you!

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

This article was reproduced from Bruce Elkin's "Simply Success"

e-newsletter. Bruce Elkin is the author of several books including

Simplicity and Success: Creating the Life You Long For. Subscribe

to his ezine & find out more about Bruce's personal coaching, books,

and free ebook Staying Up In Down Times - And Beyond! visit:

http://www.BruceElkin.com

 

 

Order David Richo's book, The Five Things We Cannot Change ... and

the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them, right now at:

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590303083/simplepleasuresp/

 

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Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPS

We'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.

Send your simple living comments and tips to: DSimple

 

 

Re: Favorite Soup

We love your Chicken Tortellini Soup from Frozen Assets Lite & Easy*!

It’s my husband’s favorite, and he's a snobby gourmet!

--Terri

 

*Editor's Note: You can order the Frozen Assets Lite & Easy book online at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1402218605/simplepleasuresp/

 

 

Re: books, Books, BOOKS!

Have you ever heard of www.swaptree.com ? I have been using this

for about 3 years now and have traded over 100 books. All you pay

is the postage for the book you trade. Very cheap! You can also

trade DVD's and CD's at this site. Joining is free.

--Debbie McB.

 

 

Re: Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken is our easiest dinner. I have told many people about

this one and they all love it too!

1 pd chicken breasts (I use boneless,skinless - stocked up on sale)

1 to 1 1/2 cups salsa (any kind that you prefer)

Put together in slow cooker (I do it in the morning with the chicken

still frozen) and cook on low for 8 hours. Cool and shred chicken. Serve

it on rice or tortillas or whatever you have.

--Micky

 

 

Re: Easy Spaghetti Pie

If you have leftover Spaghetti & Sauce, mix them together with a little

mozzarella cheese and put in a greased pie plate. Sprinkle a little more

mozzarella over the top and bake for about 20-25 minutes and you have

Spaghetti Pie. Easy, cheap & quick.

--Wilma

 

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DEBI'S NEWEST BOOKS!

Available at www.Lulu.com/dsimple

 

 

The Simple Mom's Idea Book

Print: $11.99 / Download: $4.99

While starting life as a new wife and mom, the author always wished

for a personal mentor. Someone who could take her under their wing

and show her the ropes of how to be a stay-at-home mom, live on one

income, survive in a tough economy, educate her three lively kids, and

successfully raise children to adulthood. If you've been looking for simple

ideas for life and homemaking from someone's who been around the

block more than once, look no further. Have no fear ... the Simple Mom

is here!

 

 

Basics of Inductive Bible Study

Print: $7.99 / Download: $3.99

Think the Bible's confusing? You don't understand the language? Don't

let the Bible intimidate you anymore! Here's a simple, step-by-step guide

to studying the Bible for anyone, both newbie and experienced alike. Learn

to see for yourself what the Bible is really saying, what it all means, and

then discover how to easily and practically apply its teachings to your own

life.

 

 

Habits: The Mother's Secret to Success

Print: $9.99 / Download: $4.99

Charlotte Mason was a British educator from the last century whose ideas

are currently experiencing a revival, especially among American private and

home schools. Her ideas on the formation of habit are a key to understanding

how to make lasting change in your child, or even yourself. This book is an

excerpt from Charlotte Mason's writings specifically on the topic of habits.

Edited and introduction by Deborah Taylor-Hough.

 

 

The new books are available at www.Lulu.com/dsimple

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SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Book list for frugality and simple living

Go to: http://snurl.com/simplebooks

________________________________

 

As always, a special "Thank you!" goes out to Gary Foreman

and the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making this

mailing list possible!

 

== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==

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EDITOR'S BOOKS AND RESOURCES:

Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-Hough

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

http://snurl.com/debisbooks

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"FRUGAL LIVING FOR EVERYONE!"

A Community Outreach Workshop

www.SimpleMom.comWorkshopsEvents.html

 

 

This popular workshop presented by Puget Sound area author

Deborah Taylor-Hough, is the perfect Outreach Event to offer

your community during this time of economic uncertainty.

 

Be part of the solution for your neighborhood by offering this

workshop at your church, MOPS program, or through your

local civic group.

 

Community Outreach Workshops available include:

 

... Cooking for the freezer

... Saving money on food expenses

... Writing workshops

... Easy educational ideas for kids

... Living within your means

... Simplifying the holidays

... Parenting (preschool thru teens)

... Successful New Year's resolutions

... General homemaking

... Voluntary simplicity

... Christian growth & discipleship

... Inductive Bible study

... and more!

 

 

Deborah can provide themed workshops tailor-made for your group

or community's needs. Debi is also available for consultations for

individuals, churches, and other groups on outreach strategy,

missional living, publishing, writing, media relations, and low-cost

publicity planning.

 

Contact Debi at: DSimple for more information.

________________________________

 

DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:

Website: http://www.simplemom.com

Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

Cooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/

Tupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware

Kids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids

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SIMPLE TIMES WRITERS' GUIDELINES

 

-- 2010 --

 

I wanted to take a moment to encourage the readers of Simple Times

to consider contributing to this newsletter. I'm always looking for new

input and new voices, people desiring to share their insights on frugality

and simplifying daily life. For those of you who would like to share your

personal story or latest tips, here's a condensed version of the Simple

Times Writers' Guidelines.

 

 

SIMPLE TIMES WRITERS' GUIDELINES

 

The purpose of Simple Times is to provide inspiration, encouragement,

motivation, and practical help for those who (for whatever reasons) are

choosing to simplify their lives. Our audience is diverse and represents a

large cross-section of society. This newsletter is open to the voices of its

readers, and we'd love to hear from you.

 

Keep articles brief (300 - 500 words). Send the completed article and be

sure to include a short personal bio (one or two lines). Webpage URLs

and book titles will be included in the bio, if applicable, and your email

address will only be included if you specify that you want it available to

readers. Articles may be edited for space requirements and style.

 

Simple Times doesn't pay for articles, but this email newsletter can

offer excellent free publicity for anyone with books, webpages, ezines,

or any other resources of interest to an audience interested in frugality,

family priorities, and simple living.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Submissions are ONLY accepted in the body of

an e-mail (no attachments, please).

 

DSimple

 

~Debi, Editor, Simple Times eNewsletter

http://www.simplemom.com

 

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NEWSLETTER INFORMATION

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Copyright 2010 Deborah Taylor-Hough. .

3930 A Street SE, Ste 305-119, Auburn WA 98002

Contact us at: DSimple

 

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